3 weeks ago
Sonali Kulkarni Recalls Chance Encounter Behind Dil Chahta Hai Role
Dil Chahta Hai is a very famous Hindi movie that just turned 25 years old.
It was the first movie directed by a filmmaker named Farhan Akhtar.
An actress named Sonali Kulkarni is in the movie.
She told a newspaper how she got the part, and her story sounds like a movie scene.
Someone was carrying her photos, and the photos fell to the ground.
A filmmaker named Zoya Akhtar saw the fallen pictures and remembered Sonali's earlier movies.
Zoya invited Sonali to an office to try out for the movie.
There, they made up a scene together, and Sonali got the part.
Sonali says everyone on the set was young, happy, and very prepared.
She did not know at the time that the movie would one day become a classic that people still love.
Dil Chahta Hai completed 25 years, and Sonali Kulkarni revealed her casting story in an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal.
Kulkarni landed the role after her photoshoot pictures accidentally fell and were seen by Zoya Akhtar, who knew her from international film festivals.
Zoya Akhtar, then the film's casting director, invited Kulkarni to Excel Entertainment's office, where the two improvised a scene together.
Kulkarni said no one on set realised they were creating a landmark film, crediting preparation - bound scripts and call sheets given a day in advance - for the film's success.
The 'Woh Ladki Hai Kahan' song sequence was conceptualised by Arjun Bhasin and designed by Farah Khan.
- Who
- Actress Sonali Kulkarni, who shared her casting story, and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar, who spotted her and cast her in the film.
- What
- Dil Chahta Hai, Farhan Akhtar's directorial debut, completed 25 years, and Kulkarni revealed how a chance encounter with Zoya Akhtar landed her the role.
- Where
- India (Hindi cinema); the audition took place at Excel Entertainment's office.
- When
- Around the film's 25th anniversary, which fell on a Tuesday.
- Why
- To mark the film's 25th anniversary and highlight how youthful energy, discipline, and preparation shaped the now-classic film.
Key facts
- Film
- Dil Chahta Hai
- Anniversary
- 25 years
- Director
- Farhan Akhtar
- Casting Director
- Zoya Akhtar
- Actress
- Sonali Kulkarni
- Production House
- Excel Entertainment
- Song Sequence
- "Woh Ladki Hai Kahan" - conceptualised by Arjun Bhasin, designed by Farah Khan
- Interview
- The Free Press Journal exclusive
Quotes
Sonali Kulkarni
Actress who appeared in Dil Chahta Hai
“It was amazing. While we were making the film, none of us realised that we were creating an epic film or a landmark in Indian cinema.”
freepressjournal.in
“I know Sonali Kulkarni, but does she look this modern, the way she looks in these photos?”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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